So here is the plan. Winter is coming and I would like to get a battery tender and a magnetic block heater for the xj. I am going to wire them together so I can plug in one outlet and get both benefits and was wondering what block heaters you guys have had luck with. Are there brands that are better then others? What size are you using?

Thanks in advance, BDGile

 

Have u considered a oil pan heater?

http://www.google.com/search?q=oil+p...rlz=1I7GPEA_en

 

block heaters are better then oil pan heaters, im a heavy duty mechanic and ive seen oil pan heaters gone wrong and they caramelize the oil around the heater. id go with a block heater, or a coolant heater that also circulates the coolant.

 

How effective are the freeze-plug heaters? Those just keep the coolant warm, right?

 

do they keep the coolant warm, yes. they don't circulate the coolant though so not "all" the coolant is warm. they do work, just how cold out is it there. for extreme cold id use one that will circulate the coolant. for moderate cold temperatures a block heater would probably work for yea.

 

It just seems like heating the oil would be more beneficial than heating the water. Oil is performing vital engine protection at engine start-up with warm easy flowing oil being better than thick slow flowing oil......water not so much. No?

 

i have used a magnetic style pan heater for the last three years with no problems at all.

 

There are pros and cons on all types of engine heaters.

The oil pan heaters can screw up and cook the oil, they can also be dislodged and get ripped out of the vehicle. Pro is that they do heat the oil and can not cause a leak.

Freeze plug heaters can rust in areas that use salt or the spray on road deicer and start leaking. The pro is that if they are install correctly and checked once a year for any problems with rust they should do a good job and last for 5 or more years.

The heater hose or recirculating water heater is the best because it heats and circulates water through out the engine, so that as soon as you start the engine the heater puts out heat and you can defrost the windows.
The problem with these are that most newer vehicles use vacuum to control heaters and shut down when the engine is turned off so the recirculating type heaters will not work.